October 13, 2006

Governor says GEMA partnership provides roadmap to success

LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today reiterated her commitment to “go anywhere and do anything” to transform Michigan’s economy.  Granholm highlighted the opening of a second Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) facility in Dundee as an example of how a new economy and new ways of doing business are already taking hold in Michigan.

“These international companies could have chosen to locate their plants anywhere in the world, and they chose Michigan,” Granholm said.  “This partnership, these plants, and the men and women who work inside them represent the hope for Michigan’s future and provide the roadmap for how our state is transforming to succeed in a global economy.”

Granholm’s comprehensive economic plan is working to position Michigan as a leader in today’s global economy.  Granholm has reached around the globe for opportunities to create the jobs Michigan needs.  The governor’s two trips to Japan have resulted in 22 companies coming or expanding in Michigan, creating more than 1,000 jobs.

Here in Michigan, Granholm and her administration have worked to collaborate at every level of government to provide services efficiently, including streamlining permitting, putting Michigan businesses first, and investing in the things that matter most, like education and health care.

Granholm has also worked to expand access to higher education and job training to ensure Michigan citizens have the skills they need to succeed, including an overhaul of the state’s job training efforts, a rigorous new high school curriculum, and proposals for a $4,000 new Merit Award scholarship for our kids and a tax credit for transitioning workers.

The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance is a first-of-its-kind partnership between DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi to build engines that will be used in a variety of different vehicle models.  The two facilities in Dundee employ more than 500 people and will produce 840,000 fuel-efficient engines each year.

“When the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance was first proposed, many people wrote it off as an unachievable dream.  But we’ve watched as it grew from an idea to reality right here in Michigan thanks to the hard work of automakers, labor leadership, and the workers who have proven that where there is commitment, transformation is possible,” Granholm said.  “I have that same commitment for Michigan’s economy, and I’m going to continue to work every day to implement my comprehensive economic plan to make it happen.”

The governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.  The address will also be available on the Governor’s website on Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.

Broadcasters Note: Governor Granholm’s radio address can be accessed through Sunday evening exclusively through the Members Only page of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters website. 

Publishers Note: The text of today’s address is attached.